Bespoke T&A shirt with the Brosnan collar

Hey folks,
Just wanted to share a bit of my recent experience with a bespoke shirt from T&A. I ordered a shirt which was a bit of a mix of Brosnan and Connery (or Brosnarry as Blair put it in his recent video). It's a blue royal oxford Sea Island cotton shirt with turnback cuffs and with the custom collar which was used in Brosnan's Bond movies. I was looking for something very similar to the shirt worn in Bilbao at the beginning of TWINE in terms of color and fabric, although admittedly did not have time to research more carefully prior to heading to the shop. So if it's not screen accurate (apart from the cuffs which were deliberate) I readily concede the point.

Anyways, the story of the collar is a bit more interesting. As most people know, Brosnan did not wear any of the standard collars offered by T&A... it was custom for him. The closest amongst the standard offerings might be the Prince of Wales (before I went bespoke, this was the collar I used to choose based on 'eyeballing' it as closest to what I'd seen in TWINE). The bespoke manager at the NY store is a wonderful gent, and each time I drop in we usually have a good chat about various topics not solely Bond related. However I did express my interest in that particular collar, and he shared with me the provenance. It was originally designed by him and worn by himself and one of his longtime customers (I believe a lawyer or some sort). When Lindy Hemming came to the NY store back in the 90s while prepping for the next Bond production, she noticed the collar he was wearing and indicated "That's the collar I want Pierce to wear!" Therefore, this collar design was adapted to Pierce's bespoke pattern. The original design of the collar actually was fastened with 2 small buttons. My first sample shirt order featured this, which I quickly dropped as it proved quite cumbersome. Anyways, I believe in the Bond movies, it is also modified to 1 button, as seen in the few instances where we see his dress shirt open (e.g., when pulling Zukovsky out of the caviar).

Here's some pics.

You might notice the cocktail cuff is a bit different than the standard one offered on their "Dr. No" shirts. We discussed some of the inaccuracies in the current cuff style and he offered to include a prototype design he had been working on with my shirt. It looks much closer to that seen in the early Connery movies to my eye. I have no idea if this version will eventually make its way to the "Legends" shirts.

I've also included a pic of the collar laid flat, which appears to match one of the collars shown on Blair's recent video (when the T&A gent pulls out Brosnan's paper patterns and you see about 5-6 of his different collar types).

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Comments

  • Matt SMatt S Oh Cult Voodoo ShopPosts: 6,616MI6 Agent
    Beautiful shirt! Robert told me the story about the tall collar he designed for himself and how Lindy wanted it, and it's a fantastic look. It's perfect on your neck. The cuff you got looks a lot closer to Connery's cuff than T&A's standard cocktail cuff, but it looks a bit too cutaway. The buttons are looking too vulnerable.
    Visit my blog, Bond Suits
  • urhashurhash USPosts: 988MI6 Agent
    Thanks Matt! Your blog came in handy when trying to figure out what type of fabric to get. -{

    In the end I think I went a bit too pale in comparison to the Bilbao shirt, although sometimes it's hard to tell when you're looking at 2" swatches.
  • Matt SMatt S Oh Cult Voodoo ShopPosts: 6,616MI6 Agent
    Yeah, 2 inch swatches hardly help with colour. Colours always look darker in small swatches. But your fabric looks just like the Hamburg shirt in Tomorrow Never Dies, so it goes perfectly with your Hamburg tie.
    Visit my blog, Bond Suits
  • BrackleyBondBrackleyBond Oundle, NorthamptonshirePosts: 87MI6 Agent
    Doe the collar have a name, designation or ID to be able to ask for?
  • Westward_DriftWestward_Drift Posts: 3,113MI6 Agent
    The collar looks great on you. Nice to see that not everyone has gone for the extreme cutaway collars.

    If only I had the funds for some of these bespoke shirts.

    For those not in the UK, T&A are doing trunk shows with bespoke by appointment in a number of cities across North America and Asia.

    http://turnbullandasser.com/byappointment?
  • urhashurhash USPosts: 988MI6 Agent
    Matt S wrote:
    Beautiful shirt! Robert told me the story about the tall collar he designed for himself and how Lindy wanted it, and it's a fantastic look. It's perfect on your neck.

    Interesting that you use the word tall. Robert didn't mention that when we discussed the collar, although now that I think about it, the collar does sit higher than most of my other shirts. That might be one reason Liam advised against the collar in the recent Bond Experience video, as it may be less flattering depending on ones build (probably not as good on those with a Craig-like build).
    Doe the collar have a name, designation or ID to be able to ask for?
    There probably is, but I don't know the specific designation. If you're dealing with the bespoke dept at UK or NY they should know what you're referring to. If you have any trouble PM me.
  • Matt SMatt S Oh Cult Voodoo ShopPosts: 6,616MI6 Agent
    urhash wrote:
    Matt S wrote:
    Beautiful shirt! Robert told me the story about the tall collar he designed for himself and how Lindy wanted it, and it's a fantastic look. It's perfect on your neck.

    Interesting that you use the word tall. Robert didn't mention that when we discussed the collar, although now that I think about it, the collar does sit higher than most of my other shirts. That might be one reason Liam advised against the collar in the recent Bond Experience video, as it may be less flattering depending on ones build (probably not as good on those with a Craig-like build).
    Doe the collar have a name, designation or ID to be able to ask for?
    There probably is, but I don't know the specific designation. If you're dealing with the bespoke dept at UK or NY they should know what you're referring to. If you have any trouble PM me.

    I'm guessing that the collar measures at least 5 cm in back. It's best for a long neck. I see too many men wearing collars that are too short for their necks, and they don't look right. Current fashion trends for short collars have shown me that it's better to go with a taller collar than a shorter collar. The huge collars of the 1970s generally look better!

    I believe this collar is known as the Robert Gillotte collar, except with one button instead of two. It's quite unlike any of the collars that T&A offers standard. I'm a bit confused by the comparison of the Prince of Wales collar to Brosnan's collar that has been made.
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  • urhashurhash USPosts: 988MI6 Agent
    Just as an extra, here's a pic of the sample shirt with the original 2-button collar in the CR tuxedo shirt fabric. Almost choked myself out a few times trying to button and unbutton it. The person who requested this is a masochist.

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    Matt S wrote:
    I'm a bit confused by the comparison of the Prince of Wales collar to Brosnan's collar that has been made.

    I guess I was thinking mainly of the degree of spread, which seems to be somewhere between a POW and a Regent. But I agree there are a lot of dissimilarities.


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